Seven unmissable experiences along Berlin’s dark landmark

The seven wonders of the Berlin Wall

There are multiple ways to view and experience the remnants of Berlin’s best-known landmark; some are at crowded locations, while others are little-known.

1 East Side Gallery

East Side Gallery is covered in murals that were painted shortly after the fall of the wall.Credit: iStock

Though the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 — 35 years ago — its spectre still looms large over the city it once divided. Much of the wall itself has long been destroyed, though there are several sections that have been preserved and now function as memorials or tourist attractions. Probably the best known is the East Side Gallery, a strip of the wall that runs along the River Spree near Warschauer Strasse train station. The 1.3-kilometre section was covered with 105 murals shortly after the fall of the wall; the artworks you see today are restorations or copies of the damaged originals.

2 Mauerpark

Mauerpark hosts a popular weekend flea market.Credit: iStock

There are always large crowds gathered at the East Side Gallery. You will find far fewer people, however, at the Mauerpark, an expanse of greenery in Prenzlauer Berg that was once bisected by the wall. Remnants of the structure have been left on the hilltop that separates the modern-day park from a sports stadium on its eastern side. As well as the wall, the Mauerpark hosts a popular weekly flea market on Sundays, plus riotous public karaoke at an area called the Bear Pit.

3 Topography of Terror

The museum known as the Topography of Terror is an absolute must.Credit: Getty Images

This museum is an absolute must for anyone interested in the wall and its associated Cold War history, not to mention the war that preceded its construction. The Topography of Terror is both a museum and historical site, with a large section of the wall preserved at the spot that, from 1933 to 1945, was also the headquarters of the SS and the Gestapo. There’s an exhibition here on that secret police history, plus a 15-point historical tour of the site.

4 Berlin Wall Memorial

The Chapel of Reconciliation was built to commemorate the former church that was stuck in between the east and west sides of Berlin.Credit: iStock

Here’s another moving and tastefully preserved historical site, this one set where the border strip once ran along Bernauer Strasse, between the districts of Wedding and Mitte. Perhaps the feature here that offers the greatest insight is a part of the wall that allows visitors to peer across a preserved section of border strip to the wall on the other side, showing the divide that once separated the city. Save time, too, to visit the Chapel of Reconciliation nearby.

5 Checkpoint Bravo

Avoid the crowds at the old control tower Checkpoint Bravo.Credit: iStock

Everyone knows about Checkpoint Charlie, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a circus there, and very tacky. Instead, visit Checkpoint Bravo. While there’s very little of the actual wall or the fortifications around the checkpoint, there is a museum in the old control tower that is well worth a visit. There’s a heap of information here posted on boards, and a refreshing lack of people to share the site with.

6 Teufelsberg

The former US listening station on the top of the Teufelsberg.Credit: iStock

This isn’t a section of the Berlin Wall, and it’s not even located where the wall once ran. It is, however, crucial to understanding the time of the wall, and the culture of fear during the Cold War. Teufelsberg is an old US listening station, a now-abandoned site on the top of a man-made hill, where the tattered remnants of large, spherical antennae dominate the skyline. The station is open daily, with guided tours available.

7 Berlin Wall Trail

The 160-kilometre Berlin Wall Trail runs mostly along the former patrol roads used by officers on either side of the wall.Credit: Getty Images

The former course of the wall has been dealt with in various ways across Berlin, some of it left standing, some the site of memorials or plaques, some built up and unacknowledged, some now public green space.

All of it, however, is accessible via the 160-kilometre Berlin Wall Trail, a walking and cycling path that runs mostly along the former patrol roads used by officers in West Berlin, or the border control roads used by GDR officers on the other side. The trail has been divided into 14 sections to make navigation easier, with information boards and memorial markers at various points throughout.

The writer travelled at his own expense.

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